O-town

In case you haven’t heard, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and legendary T.V. diva Oprah Winfrey cut a wide swath as they blew through South Carolina. Attracting a crowd of over 30,000, the two held the largest political rally in South Carolina’s history and the largest rally of this presidential campaign. I was fortunate enough to be there and watch history in the making (for Paula Dean’s history recipe, add 1 part historical event, plus 3 sticks of butter, and season with Oprah to taste).

The event truly was one for the record, and in my opinion it was all around first rate. From the chairs brought to the handicapped people waiting in line to the hilarious ladies standing next to me on the field, it was an event I will never forget.

Michelle Obama kicked off the event by introducing Oprah. Although Oprah didn’t bring any cars, nor did she erase anyone’s debt, she came bearing a top tier candidate in the race for the 2008 Presidential Election. Oprah spoke for a little while, but she kept her comments brief. “I love books, but I ain’t here to talk about no books,” she said, referring to criticism that she expects her endorsement to work just like her book club where she recommends something and people follow. “I got some sense,” she commented (or maybe she said “cents”. Of course both are true, but “cents” would be an understatement). Undoubtedly many were there to see Oprah, but they probably couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by their second round of O-mania–Senator Obama himself.

Oprah introduced the Illinois senator to a raucous and inescapable din that probably violated Columbia’s noise ordinances (if they have any). But what do you expect? People were excited to be there to see the first African American presidential candidate who actually has a shot at winning. One lady standing next to me when Obama came around to shake hands exclaimed, “I just touched his sweet ebony skin!” But the true testament to Obama’s ability to unite our country was evident in the make-up of the audience: young and old, black and white, rich and poor, and probably a few other dichotomies were represented too (maybe smart and dumb?). They all wanted to catch the O-Factor (not to be confused with the O’ Reilly Factor). Hopefully some of them are voters. See you at the polls!